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We have been
sharing in the prophetic "proclamations" of Jesus' birth, the
divine "actions" involved in Jesus' birth, and now let's take a
look at "response" to Jesus' birth.
Luke 2:20
~ "The
shepherds returned (ACTION), glorifying and
praising God for all the things
they had heard and seen (RESPONSE) , which were
just as they had been told. " (PROCLAMATION)
The
shepherds respond with joy. With faith. They give glory to
God. They spread the news to others – not to make a buck,
but to glorify God for His miraculous deliverance ~ THE
Messiah.
"May the
God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so
that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in
hope."
How do you respond to
Christmas?
Not to our
culture’s prevalent materialism: advertisements, crowded malls, TV specials,
fake santas Not to
seasonal performances: The Nutcracker, A Christmas Carol, or even Messiah Not to seasonal religious activities, whether caroling or
Christmas Eve services
But how do you respond to
Christmas itself ~ The truth of the birth of Jesus?
Remember that centuries
earlier, God had sent word through his prophets
saying that He would raise up a descendant of David to
the throne of Israel. This king would usher in an eternal kingdom of
righteousness. The Jews have held on to that
hope over all these years.
Who is this child?
Do I respond like a four-year-old –
with wide-eyed amazement at the good, great joy? Do I respond like the shepherds – with faith and excitement
praising God and telling others? Do I respond like Mary - pondering these truths, treasuring them up
in my heart?
Oh, how I need to
respond in all three ways!
Dear Ones ~ This is the
joyous news, the great joy! Unto us has been born a Savior, the
Messiah – the Lord! Unto us a child is born! Unto us
a son is given! This child Himself is our peace. This child is our entryway to God. This child
died to pay the penalty for our sins, if we only believe in Him, if we only see Him for what He
is: Our Savior, our Messiah, our Lord, our treasure. Unto us
is born this day THE Savior of the world who is Christ the Lord.
God orchestrated all
events for centuries so that a Roman emperor would issue a decree
bringing an unknown young girl from Nazareth to Bethlehem. God enabled
her to give birth in humble surroundings, yet sent His majestic army to
proclaim the great joy. God now has brought us here this
day with eyes to see and ears to hear this proclamation of these most
important truths.
Lord Hear My Prayer
~ Lord God, take captive my thoughts and my tongue to praise Your Name.
Tune my heart as your harp to worship and to sing Your praise, O God! Make me like these shepherds, like Mary.
May I believe, and trust,
and share the amazement of your glory with others. Change my heart so that I will rejoice
always in Jesus my Treasure. In
the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ~ Amen.
"May the
God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."
Traditions From Around
The World
The Netherlands
The traditions of celebration in
the Netherlands are a combination of traditions that even
address their geography. They celebrate the tradition of Saint
Nicholas, known as Sinterklaas, and determined that he
originally visited Sweden by boat, setting out on December 6th,
the traditional day reserved in the church calendar, from Spain.
Once onshore, he immediately mounts a horse, and makes his gift
deliveries of candies, nuts, and small hard bread treats to the
waiting shoes of children. Old Sinterklaas is a very tricky
person, able to appear, whenever he is “accidentally witnessed
in the act, as the father or grandfather of the child. Very
tricky indeed.
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